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"Who knows what evil lurks...?"
The Shadow as depicted on the cover of the July 15, 1939 issue of The Shadow Magazine. The story, "Death from Nowhere," was one of the magazine plots adapted for the legendary radio drama.

Introduced as a mysterious radio narrator by David Chrisman, William Sweets, and Harry Engman Charlot for Street and Smith Publications, The Shadow was fully developed and transformed into a pop culture icon by pulp writer Walter B. Gibson.

The Shadow debuted on July 31, 1930, as the mysterious narrator of the Street and Smith radio program Detective Story Hour.[3] After gaining popularity among the show's listeners, the narrator became the star of The Shadow Magazine on April 1, 1931, a pulp series created and primarily written by the prolific Gibson.

Over the years, the character evolved. On September 26, 1937, The Shadowradio drama officially premiered with the story "The Deathhouse Rescue", in which the character had "the power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." This was a contrivance for the radio. In actuality, The Shadow did not have the ability to become literally invisible; he influenced the minds of his opponents by making them see him a few feet to the right or left of where he really stood. The effect of having this cloaked figure laughing while he was being shot a point-blank range was, at the least, unsettling.

Even after decades, the unmistakable introduction from The Shadow radio program, originally intoned by actor Frank Readick Jr., has earned a place in the Americanidiom: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" These words were accompanied by a an ominous laugh and a musical theme, Camille Saint-Saëns' Le Rouet d'Omphale ("Omphale's Spinning Wheel", composed in 1872). At the end of each episode, The Shadow reminded listeners, "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay.... The Shadow knows!"

Publication history

Detective Story Hour

In order to boost the sales of their Detective Story Magazine, Street and Smith Publications hired David Chrisman of the Ruthrauff & Ryan advertising agency and writer-director William Sweets to adapt the magazine's stories into a radio series. Chrisman and Sweets felt the upcoming series should be narrated by a mysterious storyteller with a sinister voice, and began searching for a suitable name. One of their scriptwriters, Harry Engman Charlot, suggested various possibilities, such as "The Inspector" or "The Sleuth."[4] Charlot then proposed the ideal name for the phantom announcer: "... The Shadow."[4]

Thus, beginning on July 31, 1930,[1][5] "The Shadow" was the name given to the mysterious narrator of the Detective Story Hour. The narrator was voiced by James LaCurto[5] and, later, Frank Readick. The episodes were drawn from the Detective Story Magazine issued by Street and Smith, "the nation's oldest and largest publisher of pulp magazines."[5] Although the latter company had hoped the radio broadcasts would boost the declining sales of the Detective Story Magazine, the result was quite different. Listeners found the sinister announcer much more compelling than the unrelated stories. They soon began asking newsdealers for copies of "that Shadow detective magazine," even though it did not exist.[5]

Development

Recognizing the demand and responding promptly, circulation manager Henry William Ralston of Street & Smith commissioned magicianWalter B. Gibson to begin writing stories about "The Shadow." Using the pen name of Maxwell Grant and claiming that the stories were "from The Shadow's private annals as told to" him, Gibson wrote 282 out of 325 tales over the next 20 years: a novel-length story twice a month (1st and 15th). The first story produced was "The Living Shadow," published April 1, 1931.[5]

Gibson initially fashioned the character as a man with villainous characteristics, who used them to battle crime. Clad in black, The Shadow operated mainly after dark, burglarizing in the name of justice, and terrifying criminals into vulnerability before he or someone else gunned them down. The character was a film noiranti-hero in every sense, likely inspired by mentalistJoseph Dunninger and illusionistHoward Thurston, both close friends of Gibson.[6] Gibson himself claimed the literary inspirations for The Shadow were Bram Stoker's Dracula and Edward Bulwer-Lytton's The House and the Brain.[4]

Because of the great effort involved in writing two full-length novels every month, several guest writers were hired to write occasional installments in order to lighten Gibson's work load. These guest writers included Lester Dent — who penned the Doc Savage stories — and Theodore Tinsley. In the late 1940s, mystery novelist Bruce Elliott would temporarily replace Gibson as the primary author of the pulp series.[7]Richard Edward Wormser, a reader for Street & Smith, wrote two Shadow stories.[8]

The Shadow Magazine ceased publication with the Summer 1949 issue, but Walter B. Gibson wrote three new "official" stories between 1963 and 1980. The first of these began a new series of six updated Shadow novels from Belmont Books, starting with Return of The Shadow under his own by-line. But the remaining five, The Shadow Strikes, Beware Shadow, Cry Shadow, The Shadow's Revenge, Mark of The Shadow, Shadow Go Mad, Night of The Shadow, and The Shadow, Destination: Moon, were not penned by Gibson but by Dennis Lynds under the "Maxwell Grant" byline. In these last five novels, The Shadow was given psychic powers, including the radio character's ability "to cloud men's minds" so that he effectively became invisible.

The Shadow pulp magazine novels

The Living Shadow (1931)

Eyes of The Shadow (1931)

The Shadow Laughs (1931)

The Red Menace (1931)

Gangdom's Doom (1931)

The Death Tower (1932)

The Silent Seven (1932)

The Black Master (1932)

Mobsmen on the Spot (1932)

Hands in the Dark (1932)

Double Z (1932)

The Crime Cult (1932)

The Blackmail Ring (1932)

Hidden Death (1932)

Green Eyes (1932)

The Ghost Makers (1932)

The Five Chameleons (1932)

Dead Men Live (1932)

The Romanoff Jewels (1932)

Kings of Crime (1932)

Shadowed Millions (1933)

The Creeping Death (1933)

The Shadow's Shadow (1933)

Six Men of Evil (1933)

Fingers of Death (1933)

Murder Trail (1933)

The Silent Death (1933)

The Shadow's Justice (1933)

The Golden Grotto (1933)

The Death Giver (1933)

The Red Blot (1933)

The Ghost of the Manor (1933)

The Living Joss (1933)

The Silver Scourge (1933)

The Black Hush (1933)

The Isle of Doubt (1933)

The Grove of Doom (1933)

Master of Death (1933)

Road of Crime (1933)

The Death Triangle (1933)

The Killer (1933)

Mox (1933)

The Crime Clinic (1933)

Treasures of Death (1933)

The Embassy Murders (1934)

The Wealth Seeker (1934)

The Black Falcon (1934)

Gray Fist (1934)

The Circle of Death (1934)

The Green Box (1934)

The Cobra (1934)

Crime Circus (1934)

Tower of Death (1934)

Death Clew (1934)

The Key (1934)

The Crime Crypt (1934)

Charg, Monster (1934)

Chain of Death (1934)

The Crime Master (1934)

Gypsy Vengeance (1934)

Spoils of The Shadow (1934)

The Garaucan Swindle (1934)

Murder Marsh (1934)

The Death Sleep (1934)

The Chinese Disks (1934)

Doom on the Hill (1934)

The Unseen Killer (1934)

Cyro (1934)

The Four Signets (1935)

The Blue Sphinx (1935)

The Plot Master (1935)

The Dark Death (1935)

Crooks Go Straight (1935)

Bells of Doom (1935)

Lingo (1935)

The Triple Trail (1935)

The Golden Quest (1935)

The Third Skull (1935)

Murder Every House (1935)

The Condor (1935)

The Fate Joss (1935)

Atoms of Death (1935)

The Man from Scotland Yard (1935)

The Creeper (1935)

Mardi Gras Mystery (1935)

The London Crimes (1935)

The Ribbon Clues (1935)

The House That Vanished (1935)

The Chinese Tapestry (1935)

The Python (1935)

Zemba (1935)

The Case of Congressman Coyd (1935)

The Ghost Murders (1936)

Castle of Doom (1936)

Death Rides the Skyway (1936)

The North Woods Mystery (1936)

The Voodoo Master (1936)

The Third Shadow (1936)

The Salamanders (1936)

The Man from Shanghai (1936)

The Gray Ghost (1936)

City of Doom (1936)

The Crime Oracle (1936)

Murder Town (1936)

The Yellow Door (1936)

The Broken Napoleons (1936)

The Sledge-Hammer Crimes (1936)

Terror Island (1936)

The Golden Masks (1936)

Jibaro Death (1936)

City of Crime (1936)

Death by Proxy (1936)

The Strange Disappearance of Joe Cardona (1936)

The Seven Drops of Blood (1936)

Intimidation, Inc. (1936)

Vengeance Is Mine! (1937)

Loot of Death (1937)

Quetzel (1937)

Death Token (1937)

Murder House (1937)

Washington Crime (1937)

The Masked Headsman (1937)

Treasure Trail (1937)

Brothers of Doom (1937)

The Shadow's Rival (1937)

Crime, Insured (1937)

House of Silence (1937)

The Shadow Unmasks (1937)

The Yellow Band (1937)

Buried Evidence (1937)

The Radium Murders (1937)

The Keepers Gold (1937)

Death Turrets (1937)

Teeth of the Dragon (1937)

The Sealed Box (1937)

Racket Town (1937)

The Crystal Buddha (1938)

Hills of Death (1938)

The Murder Master (1938)

The Golden Pagoda (1938)

Face of Doom (1938)

Serpents of Siva (1938)

Cards of Death (1938)

The Hand (1938)

Voodoo Trail (1938)

The Rackets King (1938)

Murder for Sale (1938)

Death Jewels (1938)

The Green Hoods (1938)

Crime Over Boston (1938)

The Dead Who Lived (1938)

Vanished Treasure (1938)

The Voice (1938)

Chicago Crime (1938)

Shadow Over Alcatraz (1938)

Double Death (1938)

Silver Skull (1939)

Crime Rides the Sea (1939)

Realm of Doom (1939)

The Lone Tiger (1939)

The Vindicator (1939)

Death Ship (1939)

Valley of Greed (1939)

The Three Brothers (1939)

Smugglers of Death (1939)

City of Shadows (1939)

Death from Nowhere (1939)

The Isle of Gold (1939)

Wizard of Crime (1939)

The Crime Ray (1939)

The Golden Master (1939)

Castle of Crime (1939)

The Masked Lady (1939)

Ships of Doom (1939)

City of Ghosts (1939)

Shiwan Khan Returns (1939)

House of Shadows (1939)

Death Premium (1940)

The Hooded Circle (1940)

The Getaway Ring (1940)

Voice of Death (1940)

The Invincible Shiwan Khan (1940)

The Veiled Prophet (1940)

The Spy Ring (1940)

Death in the Stars (1940)

Masters of Death (1940)

Scent of Death (1940)

Q (1940)

Gems of Doom (1940)

Crime at Seven Oaks (1940)

The Fifth Face (1940)

Crime County (1940)

The Wasp (1940)

Crime Over Miami (1940)

Xitli, God of Fire (1940)

The Shadow, The Hawk, and The Skull (1940)

Forgotten Gold (1941)

The Wasp Returns (1941)

The Chinese Primrose (1941)

Mansion of Crime (1941)

The Time Master (1941)

The House on the Ledge (1941)

The League of Death (1941)

Crime Under Cover (1941)

The Thunder King (1941)

The Star of Delhi (1941)

The Blur (1941)

The Shadow Meets the Mask (1941)

The Devil Master (1941)

Garden of Death (1941)

Dictator of Crime (1941)

The Blackmail King (1941)

Temple of Crime (1941)

Murder Mansion (1941)

Crime's Stronghold (1941)

Alibi Trail (1942)

The Book of Death (1942)

Death Diamonds (1942)

Vengeance Bay (1942)

Formula for Crime (1942)

Room of Doom (1942)

The Jade Dragon (1942)

The Northdale Mystery (1942)

Twins of Crime (1942)

The Devil's Feud (1942)

Five Ivory Boxes (1942)

Death About Town (1942)

Legacy of Death (1942)

Judge Lawless (1942)

The Vampire Murders (1942)

Clue for Clue (1942)

Trail of Vengeance (1942)

The Murdering Ghost (1942)

The Hydra (1942)

The Money Master (1942)

The Museum Murders (1943)

Death's Masquerade (1943)

The Devil Monsters (1943)

Wizard of Crime (1943)

The Black Dragon (1943)

The Robot Master (1943)

Murder Lake (1943)

Messenger of Death (1943)

House of Ghosts (1943)

King of the Black Market (1943)

The Muggers (1943)

Murder by Moonlight (1943)

The Crystal Skull (1944)

Syndicate of Death (1944)

Toll of Death (1944)

Crime Caravan (1944)

Freak Show Murders (1944)

Voodoo Death (1944)

Town of Hate (1944)

Death in the Crystal (1944)

The Chest of Chu-Chan (1944)

The Shadow Meets The Mask (1944)

Fountain of Death (1944)

No Time for Murder (1944)

Guardian of Death (1945)

Merry Mrs. MacBeth (1945)

Five Keys to Crime (1945)

Death has Gray Eyes (1945)

Tear-drops of Buddha (1945)

Three Stamps of Death (1945)

The Mask of Mephisto (1945)

Murder by Magic (1945)

The Taiwan Joss (1945)

A Quarter of Eight (1945)

The White Skulls (1945)

The Stars Promise Death (1945)

The Banshee Murders (1946)

Crime Out of Mind (1946)

Mother Goose Murders (1946)

Crime Over Casco (1946)

The Curse of Thoth (1946)

Alibi Trail (1946)

Malmordo (1946)

Jade Dragon (1948)

Dead Man's Chest (1948)

The Magigal's Mystery (1949)

The Black Circle (1949)

The Whispering Eyes (1949)

Return of The Shadow (1963)

Blackmail Bay (1980)

Character development

The character and look of The Shadow gradually evolved over his lengthy fictional existence.

As depicted in the pulps, The Shadow wore a black slouch hat and a black, crimson-lined cloak with an upturned collar over a standard black suit. In the 1940s comic books, the later comics series, and the 1994 film starring Alec Baldwin, he wore either the black slouch hat or a wide-brimmed, black fedora and a crimson scarf just below his nose and across his mouth and chin. Both the cloak and scarf covered either a black doubled-breasted trench coat or regular black suit. As seen in some of the later comics series, the hat and scarf could also be worn with either a black Inverness coat or Inverness cape.

But in the radio drama, which debuted in 1937, The Shadow became an invisible avenger who had learned, while "traveling through East Asia", "the mysterious power to cloud men's minds, so they could not see him." This revision of the character was born out of necessity: Time constraints of 1930s radio made it difficult to explain to listeners where The Shadow was hiding and how he was remaining concealed. Thus, the character was simply given the power to escape human sight.

In order to explain this power, The Shadow was described as a master of hypnotism, as explicitly stated in several radio episodes.

Background

In print, The Shadow's secret identity is Kent Allard, a famed aviator who fought for the French during World War I. He is known by the alias of The Black Eagle ("The Shadow's Shadow", 1933), although later stories revised this alias as The Dark Eagle ("The Shadow Unmasks", 1937). After the war, Allard seeks a new challenge and decides to wage war on criminals. Allard fakes his death in the South American jungles, then returns to the United States. Arriving in New York City, he adopts numerous identities to conceal his existence.

One of these identities is Lamont Cranston, a "wealthy young man about town." In the pulps, Cranston is a separate character; Allard frequently disguises himself as Cranston and adopts his identity ("The Shadow Laughs," 1931). While Cranston travels the world, Allard assumes his identity in New York. In their first meeting, Allard/The Shadow threatens Cranston, saying that he has arranged to switch signatures on various documents and other means that will allow him to take over the Lamont Cranston identity entirely unless Cranston agrees to allow Allard to impersonate him when he is abroad. Terrified, Cranston agrees. The two men sometimes meet in order to impersonate each other ("Crime over Miami," 1940). Apparently, the disguise works well because Allard and Cranston bear something of a resemblance to each other ("Dictator of Crime," 1941).

His other disguises include businessman Henry Arnaud, (first appeared in "Green Eyes" Oct, 1932) elderly gentleman Isaac Twambley, (first appeared in "No Time For Murder") and Fritz, (first appeared in "The Living Shadow" Apr, 1931) a doddering old janitor who works at Police Headquarters in order to listen in on conversations.

The Shadow appears as Henry Arnaud in "Atoms of Death," "Buried Evidence," "Death Jewels," "Death Premium," "Death Ship," "Green Eyes," "House of Silence," "Murder Trail," "Quetzal," "Realm of Doom," "The Black Master," "The Blue Sphinx," "The Case of Congressman Coyd," "The Circle of Death," "The City of Doom," "The Condor," "The Embassy Murders," "The Five Chameleons," "The Ghost Murders," "The Man From Shanghai," "The Plot Master," "The Radium Murders," "The Romanoff Jewels," "The Seven Drops of Blood," "The Shadow Unmasks," "The Shadow's Shadow," and "Wizard of Crime."

The Shadow appears as Isaac Twambley in "No Time for Murder," "Guardians of Death," "Death Has Grey Eyes," "The Stars Promise Death," "Dead Man's Chest, and "The Magigal's Mystery."

The Shadow appears as Fritz in at least 23 Shadow novels: "The Living Shadow," "Hidden Death," "The Ghost Makers," "The Crime Clinic," "Crime Circus," "The Chinese Disks," "The Dark Death," "The Third Skull," "The Black Master," "The Voodoo Master," "The Third Shadow," "The Circle of Death," "The Sledge Hammer Crimes," "The Golden Masks," "The Ghost Murders," "Hills of Death," "The Hand," "The Racket's King," "The Green Hoods," "The Crime Ray," "The Getaway Ring," "Masters of Death," and "The Crystal Skull."

For the first half of The Shadow's tenure in the pulps, his past and identity are ambiguous, supposedly an intentional decision on Gibson's part. In "The Living Shadow," a thug claims to have seen The Shadow's face, and thought he saw "a piece of white that looked like a bandage." In "The Black Master" and "The Shadow's Shadow," the villains both see The Shadow's true face, and they both remark that The Shadow is a man of many faces with no face of his own. It was not until the August 1937 issue, "The Shadow Unmasks," that The Shadow's real name is revealed.

Kent Allard appears as himself in at least twenty-eight Shadow novels: "The Shadow Unmasks," "The Yellow Band," "Death Turrets," "The Sealed Box," "The Crystal Buddha," "Hills of Death," "The Murder Master," "The Golden Pagoda," "Face of Doom," "The Racket's King," "Murder for Sale," "Death Jewels," "The Green Hoods," "Crime Over Boston," "The Dead Who Lived," "Shadow Over Alcatraz," "Double Death," "Silver Skull," "The Prince of Evil," "Masters of Death," "Xitli, God of Fire," "The Green Terror," "The Wasp Returns," "The White Column," "Dictator of Crime," "Crime out of Mind," "Crime Over Casco," and "Dead Man's Chest."

In the radio drama, the Allard secret identity was dropped for simplicity's sake. On the radio, The Shadow was only Lamont Cranston; he had no other aliases or disguises.

Supporting characters

The Shadow has a network of agents who assist him in his war on crime. These include:

Claude Fellows, the only agent of The Shadow ever to be killed ("Gangdom's Doom," 1931)

Hawkeye, a reformed underworld snoop who trails gangsters and other criminals

Myra Reldon, a female operative who uses the alias of Ming Dwan when in Chinatown

Dr. Roy Tam, The Shadow's contact man in New York's Chinatown

Though initially wanted by the police, The Shadow also works with them and through them, notably gleaning information from his many chats with Commissioners Ralph Weston and Wainright Barth at the Cobalt Club. Weston believes that Cranston is a merely a rich playboy who dabbles in detective work. Another police contact is Detective Joe Cardona, a key character in many Shadow novels.

In contrast to the pulps, The Shadowradio drama limited the cast of major characters to The Shadow, Commissioner Weston, and Margo Lane (created specifically for the radio series) as it was believed the abundance of agents would make it difficult to distinguish between characters.[9] Clyde Burke and Moe Shrevnitz (identified only as "Shrevvy") made occasional appearances, but not as agents of The Shadow. Shrevvy was merely an acquaintance of Cranston and Lane, and occasionally Cranston's chauffeur.

Enemies

The Shadow also faces a wide variety of enemies, ranging from kingpins and mad scientists to international spies and supervillains, many of whom were predecessors to the rogues galleries of comic super-heroes. Among The Shadow's recurring foes are Shiwan Khan ("The Golden Master", "Shiwan Khan Returns" & "The Invincible Shiwan Khan"), The Voodoo Master ("The Voodoo Master", "The City of Doom" & "Voodoo Trail"), The Prince of Evil ("The Prince of Evil", "The Murder Genius", "The Man Who Died Twice", & "The Devil's Paymaster"—all by Theodore Tinsley), and The Wasp ("The Wasp" & "The Wasp Returns").

The series also featured a myriad of one-shot villains, including The Red Envoy, The Death Giver, Gray Fist, The Black Dragon, Silver Skull, The Red Blot, The Black Falcon, The Cobra, Zemba, The Black Master, Five-Face, The Gray Ghost, and Dr. Z.

The Shadow also battles collectives of criminals, such as The Silent Seven, The Hand, The Salamanders, and The Hydra.

Radio program

Orson Welles was the voice of The Shadow from September 1937 to October 1938. He was succeeded by Bill Johnstone.

In early 1930, Street & Smith Publications hired David Chrisman and Bill Sweets to adapt the Detective Story Magazine to radio format. Chrisman and Sweets felt the program should be introduced by a mysterious storyteller. A young scriptwriter, Harry Charlot, suggested the name of "The Shadow."[4] Thus, "The Shadow" premiered over CBS airwaves on July 31, 1930,[1] as the host of the Detective Story Hour,[5] narrating "tales of mystery and suspense from the pages of the premier detective fiction magazine."[5] The narrator was first voiced by James LaCurto,[5] but became a national sensation when radio veteran Frank Readick, Jr. assumed the role and gave it "a hauntingly sibilant quality that thrilled radio listeners."[5]

Early years

Following a brief tenure as narrator of Street & Smith's Detective Story Hour, "The Shadow" character was used to host segments of The Blue Coal Radio Revue, playing on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This marked the beginning of a long association between the radio persona and sponsor Blue Coal.

While functioning as a narrator of The Blue Coal Radio Revue, the character was recycled by Street & Smith in October 1931, to oddly serve as the storyteller of Love Story Hour.

In October 1932, the radio persona temporarily moved to NBC. Frank Readick again played the role of the sinister-voiced host on Mondays and Wednesdays, both at 6:30 p.m., with LaCurto taking occasional turns as the title character.

Readick returned as The Shadow to host a final CBS mystery anthology that fall. The series disappeared from CBS airwaves on March 27, 1935, due to Street & Smith's insistence that the radio storyteller be completely replaced by the master crime-fighter described in Walter B. Gibson's ongoing pulps.

Radio drama

Street & Smith entered into a new broadcasting agreement with Blue Coal in 1937, and that summer Gibson teamed with scriptwriter Edward Hale Bierstadt to develop the new series. As such, The Shadow returned to network airwaves on September 26, 1937, over the new Mutual Broadcasting System. Thus began the "official" radio drama that many Shadow fans know and love, with 22-year-old Orson Welles starring as Lamont Cranston, a "wealthy young man about town." Once The Shadow joined Mutual as a half-hour series on Sunday evenings, the program did not leave the air until December 26, 1954.

Welles did not speak the signature line of "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" Instead, Readick did, using a water glass next to his mouth for the echo effect. The famous catch phrase was accompanied by the strains of an excerpt from Opus 31 of the Camille Saint-Saëns classical composition, Le Rouet d'Omphale.

After Welles departed the show in 1938, Bill Johnstone was chosen to replace him and voiced the character for five seasons. Following Johnstone's departure, The Shadow was portrayed by such actors as Bret Morrison (the longest tenure, with 10 years in two separate runs), John Archer, and Steve Courtleigh.

The Shadow also inspired another radio hit, The Whistler, whose protagonist likewise knows "many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak."

Margo Lane

The radio drama also introduced female characters into The Shadow's realm, most notably Margo Lane (played by Agnes Moorehead, among others) as Cranston's love interest and crime-solving partner.[10] Four years later, the character was introduced into the pulp novels. Her sudden, unexplained appearance in the pulps annoyed readers and generated a flurry of hate mail printed in The Shadow Magazine's letters page.[10]

Lane was described as Cranston's "friend and companion" in later episodes, although the exact nature of their relationship was unclear. In the early scripts of the radio drama the character's name was spelled "Margot." The name itself was originally inspired by Margot Stevenson,[10] the Broadway ingénue who would later be chosen to voice Lane opposite Welles' Shadow during "the 1938 Goodrich summer season of the radio drama."[11] In the 1994 film in which Penelope Ann Miller portrayed the character, she is characterized as a telepath.

Comic strip, comic books, and graphic novels

The Shadow has been adapted for the comics a number of times, the first being in late 1940 with a daily newspaper comic strip offered through the Ledger Syndicate. The strip's story continuity was written by Walter B. Gibson, with plot lines adapted from the Shadow pulps, and the strip was illustrated by Vernon Greene. Due to pulp paper shortages and the growing amount of space required for war news from the European and Pacific fronts, the strip was finally cancelled during its second year. The Shadow daily was eventually collected decades later in two comic book series from two different publishers (see below), beginning in 1988 and then again in 1999.

To both cross-promote The Shadow and attract a younger audience to their other pulp magazines, Street & Smith published 101 issues of the comic book Shadow Comics from Vol. 1, #1 - Vol. 9, #5 (March 1940 - Sept. 1949)[12]. A Shadow story led off each issue, with the remainder of the stories being strips based on other Street & Smith pulp hereos.

In Mad #4 (April-May 1953), The Shadow was spoofed by Harvey Kurtzman and Bill Elder. Their character was called the Shadow' (with an apostrophe), which is short for Lamont Shadowskeedeeboomboom. In this satire, Margo Pain gets Shad, as she calls him, into various predicaments, including fights with gangsters and a piano falling on him from above. At the conclusion of the tale, after Margo is tricked into going inside an outhouse surrounded by wired-up dynamite, Shad is seen gleefully pushing down a detonator's plunger.

During the superhero revivial of the 1960s, Archie Comics published an eight-issue series, The Shadow (Aug. 1964 - Sept. 1965) under the company's Mighty Comicsimprint. In the first issue, The Shadow depicted was loosely based on the radio version, but with blonde hair. In issue #2 (Sept. 1964), the character was transformed into a campy, heavily muscled, green and blue costume-wearing superhero by writer Robert Bernstein and artist John Rosenberger.[13]

During the mid-1970s, DC Comics published a critically acclaimed[citation needed] 12-issue series (Nov. 1973 - Sept. 1975) written by Dennis O'Neil and initially drawn by Michael William Kaluta (#1-4 & 6). Faithful to both the pulp-magazine and radio-drama character, the series guest-starred fellow pulp fiction hero The Avenger in issue #11.[14] The Shadow appeared in DC's Batman #253 (Nov. 1973), in which Batman teams with an aging Shadow and calls the famous crimefighter his "greatest inspiration". In Batman #259 (Dec. 1974), Batman again meets The Shadow, and we learn The Shadow saved Bruce Wayne's life when the future Batman was a boy.

In the late 1980s, another DC reincarnation was created by Howard Chaykin, Andy Helfer, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Kyle Baker. This four issue mini-series, also collected as a one-shot graphic novel, brought The Shadow to modern-day New York. While initially successful, this version proved unpopular with traditional Shadow fans because it depicted The Shadow using Uzi submachine guns and rocket launchers, as well as featuring a strong strain of black comedy throughout.

The Vernon Greene/Walter Gibson Shadow newspaper comic strip from the early 1940s was finally collected by Malibu Graphics (Malibu Comics) under their Eternity Comics imprint, beginning with the first issue of Crime Classics dated July, 1988. Each cover was illustrated by Greene and colored by one of Eternity's colorists. A total of 13 issues appeared featuring just the black-and-white daily until the final issue, dated November, 1989. Some of the Shadow story lines were contained in one issue, while others were continued over into the next. When a Shadow story ended, another tale would begin in the same issue. This back-to-back format continued until the final 13th issue, when the strip story lines ended.

From 1989 to 1992, DC published a new series, The Shadow Strikes, written by Gerard Jones and Eduardo Barreto. This series was set in the 1930s and returned The Shadow to his pulp origins. During its run, it featured The Shadow's first team-up with Doc Savage, another very popular hero of the pulp magazine era. Both characters appeared together in a four-issue story that crossed back and forth between each character's DC comic series. "The Shadow Strikes" series often led The Shadow into encounters with well-known celebrities of the 1930s, such as Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, union organizer John L. Lewis, and Chicago gangsters Frank Nitti and Jake Guzik. In issue #11, The Shadow meets a radio announcer named Grover Mills — a character based on the young Orson Welles — who has been impersonating The Shadow on the radio. The character's name is taken from Grover's Mill, New Jersey, the name of the small town where the Martians land in Welles' famous 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds.

The Shadow also made an uncredited cameo appearance in issue #2 of DC's 1996 four issue mini-series Kingdom Come. Those four issues were then collected into a single graphic novel in 1997. The Shadow appears in the nightclub scene standing in the background next to The Question and Rorschach.

During the early-to-mid-1990s, Dark Horse Comics acquired the comics rights to the Shadow. It published the Shadow miniseriesIn The Coils of Leviathan (four issues) in 1993, and Hell's Heat Wave (three issues) in 1995. In the Coils of the Leviathan was later collected and issued by Dark Horse in 1994 as a trade paperback graphic novel. Both series were written by Joel Goss and Michael Kaluta, and drawn by Gary Gianni. A one-shot Shadow issue The Shadow and the Mysterious Three was also published by Dark Horse in 1994, again written by Joel Goss and Michael Kaluta, with Stan Manoukian and Vince Roucher taking over the illustration duties but working over Kaluta's layouts. A comics adaptation of the 1994 film The Shadow was published in two issues by Dark Horse as part of the movie's merchandising campaign. The script was by Goss and Kaluta and once again drawn from cover to cover by Kaluta. It was collected and published in England by Boxtree as a graphic novel tie-in for the film's British release. Emulating DC's earlier team-up, Dark Horse also published a two-issue mini-series in 1995 called The Shadow and Doc Savage. It was written by Steve Vance, and illustrated once again by Manoukian and Roucher. Of special note, both issues' covers were drawn by Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens. The final Dark Horse Shadow team-up was published in 1995. It was a single issue of Ghost and the Shadow, written by Doug Moench, pencilled by H. M. Baker, and inked by Bernard Kolle.

The early 1940's Shadow newspaper daily strip was again put back into print, this time by Avalon Communications under their ACG Classix imprint. The Shadow daily began appearing with the first issue of Pulp Action comics. It carried no monthly date or issue number on the cover, only a 1999 copyright and a "Pulp Action #1" notation on the inside cover's colophon. Each issue's cover was a colorized, partial comics panel blow-up, taken from one of the reprinted strips. The eighth issue uses for its cover a partial Shadow movie serial black and white movie still, with hand-drawn alterations made to it. The first issue of Pulp Action is devoted entirely to reprints of the Shadow daily, but subsequent issues also began offering non-Shadow stories of various page lengths as back-up features in every issue. The Shadow strip reprints stopped with Pulp Action's eighth issue, without finishing up the daily. That last issue carries a 2000 copyright date.

Alan Moore has credited The Shadow as one of the key influences for the creation of V, the title character in his DC Comics miniseries V for Vendetta, [15][16] that later became a big-budget film release from Warner Bros.

Films

The Shadow Strikes (1937)

The film The Shadow Strikes was released in 1937, starring Rod La Rocque in the title role. Lamont Cranston assumes the secret identity of "The Shadow" in order to thwart an attempted robbery at an attorney's office. Both The Shadow Strikes (1937) and its sequel, International Crime (1938), were released by Grand National Pictures.

International Crime (1938)

La Rocque returned the following year in International Crime. In this version, reporter Lamont Cranston is an amateur criminologist and detective who uses the name of "The Shadow" as a radio gimmick. Thomas Jackson portrayed Police Commissioner Weston, and Astrid Allwyn was cast as Phoebe Lane, Cranston's assistant.

The Shadow (1940)

A 15-chapter serial produced by Columbia Studios starring Victor Jory premiered in 1940. The Black Tiger is a criminal mastermind who has been sabotaging rail lines and factories across the United States, and Lamont Cranston must become his shadowy alter ego to uncover the fiend and halt his schemes.

The Shadow Returns (1946)

Low-budget motion picture studio Monogram produced a trio of films in 1946 starring Kane Richmond: The Shadow Returns, Behind the Mask and The Missing Lady. Richmond's Shadow, in fact, wore a black face-mask similar to the type worn by the serial hero The Masked Marvel.

The Shadow (1994)

In 1994, the character was adapted once again into a feature film, The Shadow, starring Alec Baldwin as Lamont Cranston, alongside Penelope Ann Miller as Margo Lane. Cranston is depicted as a brutal warlord and opium smuggler in 1930s Mongolia who is kidnapped by a tulku, who reforms him and teaches him to cloud men's minds in order to fight crime. His nemesis in the film is an evil warlord and fellow telepath named Shiwan Khan (John Lone), the last descendant of Genghis Khan, who seeks to destroy New York City with an atomic bomb. The Shadow eventually defeats him by telekinetically stabbing Khan in the head with a mirror shard; one of the Shadow's agents — the administrator of an insane asylum — surgically removes the part of Khan's frontal lobe that controls his telepathic powers, declares him insane, and has him institutionalized.

This movie combined the radio and pulp novel versions of The Shadow, with the aforementioned ability to cloud minds, described only on radio, along with the huge red-lined black cloak, the black trench coat and slouch hat, and the dual .45 semi-automatic pistols with which The Shadow was customarily outfitted in the pulp novels.

Upcoming film

On December 11, 2006, the website SuperHero Hype reported that director Sam Raimi and Michael Uslan will co-produce a new Shadow film for Columbia Pictures.[17] Siavash Farahani will write the screenplay. Raimi had tried (and failed) to gain the rights in the late 1980s, which resulted in his 1990 feature film, Darkman.

On October 16, 2007, Raimi stated that: "I don't have any news on 'The Shadow' at this time, except that the company that I have with Josh Donen, my producing partner, we've got the rights to 'The Shadow.' I love the character very much and we're trying to work on a story that'll do justice to the character."[18]

On January 29, 2010, it was reported that Sam Raimi was searching for a new project after it was announced that the Spider-Man franchise would be rebooted without him. The Shadow was said to be at the top of his list. According to the Internet Movie Database, production is slated to begin in 2012.

TV series

Two attempts were made to make a television series based on the character. The first in 1954 was called The Shadow, starring Tom Helmore as Lamont Cranston.

The second attempt in 1958 was called The Invisible Avenger, which compiled the first two unaired episodes and was released theatrically instead. This film was later re-released in 1962 as Bourbon Street Shadows, with additional footage meant to appeal to "adult" audiences. Starring Richard Derr as The Shadow, The Invisible Avenger centers upon Lamont Cranston investigating the murder of a New Orleans bandleader. The film is notable as the second directorial effort of James Wong Howe.

Influence on Superheroes

Characters such as Batman[19] and The Green Hornet reference Lamont Cranston's alter ego. Both characters operate mostly by night, and the Green Hornet in particular operates outside the law, insinuating himself into criminal plots in order to put an end to the activities of master criminals. But whereas The Shadow carries a real gun, the Green Hornet carries only a lightweight pistol that fires non-lethal gas.

When Bob Kane and Bill Finger first conceived "the Bat-Man", Finger suggested they pattern the character after pulp mystery men such as The Shadow.[20] Finger then used "Partners of Peril"[21]—a Shadow pulp written by Theodore Tinsley—as the basis for Batman's debut story, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate."[22] Finger later publicly acknowledged that "my first [Batman] script was a take-off on a Shadow story"[23] and that "Batman was originally written in the style of the pulps."[24] This influence was further evident with Batman showing little remorse over killing or maiming criminals and was not above using firearms.[24]

In popular culture

The Laughing Man, a 1949 short story by J. D. Salinger, reprinted in his 1953 collection Nine Stories, is based on the episodic nature of The Shadow radio show and draws upon references to the character's famous laugh and red-lined cloak.

In the "Adam's Ribs" episode of M*A*S*H*, Hawkeye Pierce claims to be a reporter named "Cranston Lamont" in order to secure the address of his favorite rib restaurant near the Dearborn Street Station in Chicago.

Lamont Cranston, the Shadow, and the "Who knows what evil lurks..." quote appear in the poem "In Memory of Radio" by Amiri Baraka/Leroi Jones, published in 1961.

In the musical Bye Bye Birdie, when trying to find his daughter Kim, who has run off to the Ice House with Conrad Birdie, Mr. MacAfee exclaims, "Call the Shadow. Look him up under Lamont Cranston!"

The name Lamont Cranston is often used by cannabis smokers to refer to their smoking device when the situation prohibits explicitly speaking about drug paraphernalia. Lamont Cranston has come to symbolize anything secret or confidential.

In the "Who and where was Antonio Stradivarius?" episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show, Laura's Uncle jokes about Rob being The Shadow when he doesn't show up for dinner.

Footnotes

^Stedman, Raymond William. Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 154. ISBN 978-0806116952. "The definite article in The Shadow's name was always capitalized in the pulp adventures"

From Wikiquote

The Shadow is a fictional
character created by Walter B. Gibson, one
of the most famous of the pulp heroes of the 1930s and 1940s. Born
"Kent Allard" he assumed various identities for his crime fighting
work, most notably that of "Lamont Cranston."

From Wikisource

In very hot climates, where the heat of the sun has great power,
people are usually as brown as mahogany; and in the hottest
countries they are negroes, with black skins. A learned man once
travelled into one of these warm climates, from the cold regions of
the north, and thought he would roam about as he did at home; but
he soon had to change his opinion. He found that, like all sensible
people, he must remain in the house during the whole day, with
every window and door closed, so that it looked as if all in the
house were asleep or absent. The houses of the narrow street in
which he lived were so lofty that the sun shone upon them from
morning till evening, and it became quite unbearable. This learned
man from the cold regions was young as well as clever; but it
seemed to him as if he were sitting in an oven, and he became quite
exhausted and weak, and grew so thin that his shadow shrivelled up,
and became much smaller than it had been at home. The sun took away
even what was left of it, and he saw nothing of it till the
evening, after sunset. It was really a pleasure, as soon as the
lights were brought into the room, to see the shadow stretch itself
against the wall, even to the ceiling, so tall was it; and it
really wanted a good stretch to recover its strength. The learned
man would sometimes go out into the balcony to stretch himself
also; and as soon as the stars came forth in the clear, beautiful
sky, he felt revived. People at this hour began to make their
appearance in all the balconies in the street; for in warm climates
every window has a balcony, in which they can breathe the fresh
evening air, which is very necessary, even to those who are used to
a heat that makes them as brown as mahogany; so that the street
presented a very lively appearance. Here were shoemakers, and
tailors, and all sorts of people sitting. In the street beneath,
they brought out tables and chairs, lighted candles by hundreds,
talked and sang, and were very merry. There were people walking,
carriages driving, and mules trotting along, with their bells on
the harness, "tingle, tingle," as they went. Then the dead were
carried to the grave with the sound of solemn music, and the
tolling of the church bells. It was indeed a scene of varied life
in the street. One house only, which was just opposite to the one
in which the foreign learned man lived, formed a contrast to all
this, for it was quite still; and yet somebody dwelt there, for
flowers stood in the balcony, blooming beautifully in the hot sun;
and this could not have been unless they had been watered
carefully. Therefore some one must be in the house to do this. The
doors leading to the balcony were half opened in the evening; and
although in the front room all was dark, music could be heard from
the interior of the house. The foreign learned man considered this
music very delightful; but perhaps he fancied it; for everything in
these warm countries pleased him, excepting the heat of the sun.
The foreign landlord said he did not know who had taken the
opposite house—nobody was to be seen there; and as to the music, he
thought it seemed very tedious, to him most uncommonly so.

"It is just as if some one was practising a piece that he could
not manage; it is always the same piece. He thinks, I suppose, that
he will be able to manage it at last; but I do not think so,
however long he may play it."

Once the foreigner woke in the night. He slept with the door
open which led to the balcony; the wind had raised the curtain
before it, and there appeared a wonderful brightness over all in
the balcony of the opposite house. The flowers seemed like flames
of the most gorgeous colors, and among the flowers stood a
beautiful slender maiden. It was to him as if light streamed from
her, and dazzled his eyes; but then he had only just opened them,
as he awoke from his sleep. With one spring he was out of bed, and
crept softly behind the curtain. But she was gone—the brightness
had disappeared; the flowers no longer appeared like flames,
although still as beautiful as ever. The door stood ajar, and from
an inner room sounded music so sweet and so lovely, that it
produced the most enchanting thoughts, and acted on the senses with
magic power. Who could live there? Where was the real entrance?
for, both in the street and in the lane at the side, the whole
ground floor was a continuation of shops; and people could not
always be passing through them.

One evening the foreigner sat in the balcony. A light was
burning in his own room, just behind him. It was quite natural,
therefore, that his shadow should fall on the wall of the opposite
house; so that, as he sat amongst the flowers on his balcony, when
he moved, his shadow moved also.

"I think my shadow is the only living thing to be seen
opposite," said the learned man; "see how pleasantly it sits among
the flowers. The door is only ajar; the shadow ought to be clever
enough to step in and look about him, and then to come back and
tell me what he has seen. You could make yourself useful in this
way," said he, jokingly; "be so good as to step in now, will you?"
and then he nodded to the shadow, and the shadow nodded in return.
"Now go, but don’t stay away altogether."

Then the foreigner stood up, and the shadow on the opposite
balcony stood up also; the foreigner turned round, the shadow
turned; and if any one had observed, they might have seen it go
straight into the half-opened door of the opposite balcony, as the
learned man re-entered his own room, and let the curtain fall. The
next morning he went out to take his coffee and read the
newspapers.

"How is this?" he exclaimed, as he stood in the sunshine. "I
have lost my shadow. So it really did go away yesterday evening,
and it has not returned. This is very annoying."

And it certainly did vex him, not so much because the shadow was
gone, but because he knew there was a story of a man without a
shadow. All the people at home, in his country, knew this story;
and when he returned, and related his own adventures, they would
say it was only an imitation; and he had no desire for such things
to be said of him. So he decided not to speak of it at all, which
was a very sensible determination.

In the evening he went out again on his balcony, taking care to
place the light behind him; for he knew that a shadow always wants
his master for a screen; but he could not entice him out. He made
himself little, and he made himself tall; but there was no shadow,
and no shadow came. He said, “Hem, a-hem;” but it was all useless.
That was very vexatious; but in warm countries everything grows
very quickly; and, after a week had passed, he saw, to his great
joy, that a new shadow was growing from his feet, when he walked in
the sunshine; so that the root must have remained. After three
weeks, he had quite a respectable shadow, which, during his return
journey to northern lands, continued to grow, and became at last so
large that he might very well have spared half of it. When this
learned man arrived at home, he wrote books about the true, the
good, and the beautiful, which are to be found in this world; and
so days and years passed—many, many years.

One evening, as he sat in his study, a very gentle tap was heard
at the door. "Come in," said he; but no one came. He opened the
door, and there stood before him a man so remarkably thin that he
felt seriously troubled at his appearance. He was, however, very
well dressed, and looked like a gentleman. "To whom have I the
honor of speaking?" said he.

"Ah, I hoped you would recognize me," said the elegant stranger;
"I have gained so much that I have a body of flesh, and clothes to
wear. You never expected to see me in such a condition. Do you not
recognize your old shadow? Ah, you never expected that I should
return to you again. All has been prosperous with me since I was
with you last; I have become rich in every way, and, were I
inclined to purchase my freedom from service, I could easily do
so." And as he spoke he rattled between his fingers a number of
costly trinkets which hung to a thick gold watch-chain he wore
round his neck. Diamond rings sparkled on his fingers, and it was
all real.

"I cannot recover from my astonishment," said the learned man.
"What does all this mean?"

"Something rather unusual," said the shadow; "but you are
yourself an uncommon man, and you know very well that I have
followed in your footsteps ever since your childhood. As soon as
you found that I have travelled enough to be trusted alone, I went
my own way, and I am now in the most brilliant circumstances. But I
felt a kind of longing to see you once more before you die, and I
wanted to see this place again, for there is always a clinging to
the land of one’s birth. I know that you have now another shadow;
do I owe you anything? If so, have the goodness to say what it
is."

"No! Is it really you?" said the learned man. "Well, this is
most remarkable; I never supposed it possible that a man’s old
shadow could become a human being."

"Just tell me what I owe you," said the shadow, "for I do not
like to be in debt to any man."

"How can you talk in that manner?" said the learned man. "What
question of debt can there be between us? You are as free as any
one. I rejoice exceedingly to hear of your good fortune. Sit down,
old friend, and tell me a little of how it happened, and what you
saw in the house opposite to me while we were in those hot
climates."

"Yes, I will tell you all about it," said the shadow, sitting
down; "but then you must promise me never to tell in this city,
wherever you may meet me, that I have been your shadow. I am
thinking of being married, for I have more than sufficient to
support a family."

"Make yourself quite easy," said the learned man; "I will tell
no one who you really are. Here is my hand,—I promise, and a word
is sufficient between man and man."

"Between man and a shadow," said the shadow; for he could not
help saying so.

It was really most remarkable how very much he had become a man
in appearance. He was dressed in a suit of the very finest black
cloth, polished boots, and an opera crush hat, which could be
folded together so that nothing could be seen but the crown and the
rim, besides the trinkets, the gold chain, and the diamond rings
already spoken of. The shadow was, in fact, very well dressed, and
this made a man of him. "Now I will relate to you what you wish to
know," said the shadow, placing his foot with the polished leather
boot as firmly as possible on the arm of the new shadow of the
learned man, which lay at his feet like a poodle dog. This was
done, it might be from pride, or perhaps that the new shadow might
cling to him, but the prostrate shadow remained quite quiet and at
rest, in order that it might listen, for it wanted to know how a
shadow could be sent away by its master, and become a man itself.
"Do you know," said the shadow, "that in the house opposite to you
lived the most glorious creature in the world? It was poetry. I
remained there three weeks, and it was more like three thousand
years, for I read all that has ever been written in poetry or
prose; and I may say, in truth, that I saw and learnt
everything."

"Poetry!" exclaimed the learned man. "Yes, she lives as a hermit
in great cities. Poetry! Well, I saw her once for a very short
moment, while sleep weighed down my eyelids. She flashed upon me
from the balcony like the radiant aurora borealis, surrounded with
flowers like flames of fire. Tell me, you were on the balcony that
evening; you went through the door, and what did you see?"

"I found myself in an ante-room," said the shadow. "You still
sat opposite to me, looking into the room. There was no light, or
at least it seemed in partial darkness, for the door of a whole
suite of rooms stood open, and they were brilliantly lighted. The
blaze of light would have killed me, had I approached too near the
maiden myself, but I was cautious, and took time, which is what
every one ought to do."

"And what didst thou see?" asked the learned man.

"I saw everything, as you shall hear. But—it really is not pride
on my part, as a free man and possessing the knowledge that I do,
besides my position, not to speak of my wealth—I wish you would say
you to me instead of thou."

"I beg your pardon," said the learned man; "it is an old habit,
which it is difficult to break. You are quite right; I will try to
think of it. But now tell me everything that you saw."

"Everything," said the shadow; "for I saw and know
everything."

"What was the appearance of the inner rooms?" asked the scholar.
"Was it there like a cool grove, or like a holy temple? Were the
chambers like a starry sky seen from the top of a high
mountain?"

"It was all that you describe," said the shadow; "but I did not
go quite in—I remained in the twilight of the ante-room—but I was
in a very good position,—I could see and hear all that was going on
in the court of poetry.”"

"But what did you see? Did the gods of ancient times pass
through the rooms? Did old heroes fight their battles over again?
Were there lovely children at play, who related their dreams?"

"I tell you I have been there, and therefore you may be sure
that I saw everything that was to be seen. If you had gone there,
you would not have remained a human being, whereas I became one;
and at the same moment I became aware of my inner being, my inborn
affinity to the nature of poetry. It is true I did not think much
about it while I was with you, but you will remember that I was
always much larger at sunrise and sunset, and in the moonlight even
more visible than yourself, but I did not then understand my inner
existence. In the ante-room it was revealed to me. I became a man;
I came out in full maturity. But you had left the warm countries.
As a man, I felt ashamed to go about without boots or clothes, and
that exterior finish by which man is known. So I went my own way; I
can tell you, for you will not put it in a book. I hid myself under
the cloak of a cake woman, but she little thought who she
concealed. It was not till evening that I ventured out. I ran about
the streets in the moonlight. I drew myself up to my full height
upon the walls, which tickled my back very pleasantly. I ran here
and there, looked through the highest windows into the rooms, and
over the roofs. I looked in, and saw what nobody else could see, or
indeed ought to see; in fact, it is a bad world, and I would not
care to be a man, but that men are of some importance. I saw the
most miserable things going on between husbands and wives, parents
and children,—sweet, incomparable children. I have seen what no
human being has the power of knowing, although they would all be
very glad to know—the evil conduct of their neighbors. Had I
written a newspaper, how eagerly it would have been read! Instead
of which, I wrote directly to the persons themselves, and great
alarm arose in all the town I visited. They had so much fear of me,
and yet how dearly they loved me. The professor made me a
professor. The tailor gave me new clothes; I am well provided for
in that way. The overseer of the mint struck coins for me. The
women declared that I was handsome, and so I became the man you now
see me. And now I must say adieu. Here is my card. I live on the
sunny side of the street, and always stay at home in rainy
weather." And the shadow departed.

"This is all very remarkable," said the learned man.

Years passed, days and years went by, and the shadow came again.
"How are you going on now?" he asked.

"Ah!" said the learned man; "I am writing about the true, the
beautiful, and the good; but no one cares to hear anything about
it. I am quite in despair, for I take it to heart very much."

"That is what I never do," said the shadow; "I am growing quite
fat and stout, which every one ought to be. You do not understand
the world; you will make yourself ill about it; you ought to
travel; I am going on a journey in the summer, will you go with me?
I should like a travelling companion; will you travel with me as my
shadow? It would give me great pleasure, and I will pay all
expenses."

"Are you going to travel far?" asked the learned man.

"That is a matter of opinion," replied the shadow. "At all
events, a journey will do you good, and if you will be my shadow,
then all your journey shall be paid."

"It appears to me very absurd," said the learned man.

"But it is the way of the world," replied the shadow, "and
always will be." Then he went away.

Everything went wrong with the learned man. Sorrow and trouble
pursued him, and what he said about the good, the beautiful, and
the true, was of as much value to most people as a nutmeg would be
to a cow. At length he fell ill. "You really look like a shadow,"
people said to him, and then a cold shudder would pass over him,
for he had his own thoughts on the subject.

"You really ought to go to some watering-place," said the shadow
on his next visit. "There is no other chance for you. I will take
you with me, for the sake of old acquaintance. I will pay the
expenses of your journey, and you shall write a description of it
to amuse us by the way. I should like to go to a watering-place; my
beard does not grow as it ought, which is from weakness, and I must
have a beard. Now do be sensible and accept my proposal; we shall
travel as intimate friends."

And at last they started together. The shadow was master now,
and the master became the shadow. They drove together, and rode and
walked in company with each other, side by side, or one in front
and the other behind, according to the position of the sun. The
shadow always knew when to take the place of honor, but the learned
man took no notice of it, for he had a good heart, and was
exceedingly mild and friendly.

One day the master said to the shadow, "We have grown up
together from our childhood, and now that we have become travelling
companions, shall we not drink to our good fellowship, and say thee
and thou to each other?"

"What you say is very straightforward and kindly meant," said
the shadow, who was now really master. "I will be equally kind and
straightforward. You are a learned man, and know how wonderful
human nature is. There are some men who cannot endure the smell of
brown paper; it makes them ill. Others will feel a shuddering
sensation to their very marrow, if a nail is scratched on a pane of
glass. I myself have a similar kind of feeling when I hear any one
say thou to me. I feel crushed by it, as I used to feel in my
former position with you. You will perceive that this is a matter
of feeling, not pride. I cannot allow you to say thou to me; I will
gladly say it to you, and therefore your wish will be half
fulfilled." Then the shadow addressed his former master as
thou.

"It is going rather too far," said the latter, "that I am to say
you when I speak to him, and he is to say thou to me." However, he
was obliged to submit.

They arrived at length at the baths, where there were many
strangers, and among them a beautiful princess, whose real disease
consisted in being too sharp-sighted, which made every one very
uneasy. She saw at once that the new comer was very different to
every one else. "They say he is here to make his beard grow," she
thought; "but I know the real cause, he is unable to cast a
shadow." Then she became very curious on the matter, and one day,
while on the promenade, she entered into conversation with the
strange gentleman. Being a princess, she was not obliged to stand
upon much ceremony, so she said to him without hesitation, "Your
illness consists in not being able to cast a shadow."

"Your royal highness must be on the high road to recovery from
your illness," said he. "I know your complaint arose from being too
sharp-sighted, and in this case it has entirely failed. I happen to
have a most unusual shadow. Have you not seen a person who is
always at my side? Persons often give their servants finer cloth
for their liveries than for their own clothes, and so I have
dressed out my shadow like a man; nay, you may observe that I have
even given him a shadow of his own; it is rather expensive, but I
like to have things about me that are peculiar."

"How is this?" thought the princess; "am I really cured? This
must be the best watering-place in existence. Water in our times
has certainly wonderful power. But I will not leave this place yet,
just as it begins to be amusing. This foreign prince—for he must be
a prince—pleases me above all things. I only hope his beard won’t
grow, or he will leave at once."

In the evening, the princess and the shadow danced together in
the large assembly rooms. She was light, but he was lighter still;
she had never seen such a dancer before. She told him from what
country she had come, and found he knew it and had been there, but
not while she was at home. He had looked into the windows of her
father’s palace, both the upper and the lower windows; he had seen
many things, and could therefore answer the princess, and make
allusions which quite astonished her. She thought he must be the
cleverest man in all the world, and felt the greatest respect for
his knowledge. When she danced with him again she fell in love with
him, which the shadow quickly discovered, for she had with her eyes
looked him through and through. They danced once more, and she was
nearly telling him, but she had some discretion; she thought of her
country, her kingdom, and the number of people over whom she would
one day have to rule. "He is a clever man," she thought to herself,
"which is a good thing, and he dances admirably, which is also
good. But has he well-grounded knowledge? that is an important
question, and I must try him." Then she asked him a most difficult
question, she herself could not have answered it, and the shadow
made a most unaccountable grimace.

"You cannot answer that," said the princess.

"I learnt something about it in my childhood," he replied; "and
believe that even my very shadow, standing over there by the door,
could answer it."

"Your shadow," said the princess; "indeed that would be very
remarkable."

"I do not say so positively," observed the shadow; "but I am
inclined to believe that he can do so. He has followed me for so
many years, and has heard so much from me, that I think it is very
likely. But your royal highness must allow me to observe, that he
is very proud of being considered a man, and to put him in a good
humor, so that he may answer correctly, he must be treated as a
man."

"I shall be very pleased to do so," said the princess. So she
walked up to the learned man, who stood in the doorway, and spoke
to him of the sun, and the moon, of the green forests, and of
people near home and far off; and the learned man conversed with
her pleasantly and sensibly.

"What a wonderful man he must be, to have such a clever shadow!"
thought she. "If I were to choose him it would be a real blessing
to my country and my subjects, and I will do it." So the princess
and the shadow were soon engaged to each other, but no one was to
be told a word about it, till she returned to her kingdom.

"No one shall know," said the shadow; "not even my own shadow;"
and he had very particular reasons for saying so.

After a time, the princess returned to the land over which she
reigned, and the shadow accompanied her.

"Listen my friend," said the shadow to the learned man; "now
that I am as fortunate and as powerful as any man can be, I will do
something unusually good for you. You shall live in my palace,
drive with me in the royal carriage, and have a hundred thousand
dollars a year; but you must allow every one to call you a shadow,
and never venture to say that you have been a man. And once a year,
when I sit in my balcony in the sunshine, you must lie at my feet
as becomes a shadow to do; for I must tell you I am going to marry
the princess, and our wedding will take place this evening."

"Now, really, this is too ridiculous," said the learned man. "I
cannot, and will not, submit to such folly. It would be cheating
the whole country, and the princess also. I will disclose
everything, and say that I am the man, and that you are only a
shadow dressed up in men’s clothes."

"No one would believe you," said the shadow; "be reasonable,
now, or I will call the guards."

"I will go straight to the princess," said the learned man.

"But I shall be there first," replied the shadow, "and you will
be sent to prison." And so it turned out, for the guards readily
obeyed him, as they knew he was going to marry the king’s
daughter.

"You tremble," said the princess, when the shadow appeared
before her. "Has anything happened? You must not be ill to-day, for
this evening our wedding will take place."

"I have gone through the most terrible affair that could
possibly happen," said the shadow; "only imagine, my shadow has
gone mad; I suppose such a poor, shallow brain, could not bear
much; he fancies that he has become a real man, and that I am his
shadow."

"How very terrible," cried the princess; "is he locked up?"

"Oh yes, certainly; for I fear he will never recover."

"Poor shadow!" said the princess; "it is very unfortunate for
him; it would really be a good deed to free him from his frail
existence; and, indeed, when I think how often people take the part
of the lower class against the higher, in these days, it would be
policy to put him out of the way quietly.”"

"It is certainly rather hard upon him, for he was a faithful
servant," said the shadow; and he pretended to sigh.

"Yours is a noble character," said the princess, and bowed
herself before him.

In the evening the whole town was illuminated, and cannons fired
"boom," and the soldiers presented arms. It was indeed a grand
wedding. The princess and the shadow stepped out on the balcony to
show themselves, and to receive one cheer more. But the learned man
heard nothing of all these festivities, for he had already been
executed.

This translation is hosted with different
licensing information than from the original text. The translation
status applies to this edition.

Original:

This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide
because the author died at least 100 years ago.

Translation:

This work is in the public domain in
the United States because it was published before January 1, 1923.
It may be copyrighted outside the U.S. (see Help:Public
domain).